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Gate City vs Dan River (2/23)


Leatherhead Larry
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Not trying to change anybody's mind Milo. If it be an entire page or just a couple of instances. Would just like to see the kid be more humble that's all. I believe less arrogancy on the court would do wonders for him. I'm afraid his ego might get the best of him. It happens you know.

 

 

I've never seen the Ball kid play basketball, but I did get to see him play football. Outstanding athlete and I hear a lot of good things about him.

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I wouldn't say MM is more confident than most alpha dogs, but having seen him from the other sideline for a couple of years now I would say he is trending in the wrong direction attitude wise.  I've seen him do more than his fair share of cherry picking this year, I've watched him be very demonstrative to other players and officials alike (which I didn't see in previous years), and in the conference tournament watched him attempt some hot sauce level ballhandling and dribble it off his foot out of bounds right in front of his coach...I can't believe SV didn't bench him immediately for that on general principle. 

 

In fairness to the kid, (as he is still just a kid), I would say a lot of it is boredom, as teams like Lee and Lebanon don't really stoke the competitive fire in a player that talented.  Obviously he has played his best against the best competition which is what you want to see in terms of a sign of future success.  We were all a little more fiery when we were younger, so it's not an indictment of character to say he has a little attitude, but GC fans also shouldn't be offended at people saying that. We all know that if a player in a different uniform was doing the same stuff that they would not be so glowing in their praise.

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Having watched Mac play for years, it is hard to argue that he does not have a "swagger" about himself on the court. If you are not wearing GC blue, you no doubt will come up with a different word than "swagger".

 

A lot of the great ones have that swagger/confidence about them. We have discussed, in this thread, how another of GC's players seems to have lost his confidence and is not playing great ball right now. Confidence is important.

 

However, I think he is trending in the opposite direction. He has tremendously cut down on his "show boat turnovers" from last year to this year.  Last year it was very common for him to pick up a cheap foul right after making a bad play. Those have been close to nonexistent this year. He leads the team in points, assists, and steals. Got to be close in rebounding. His game is much more mature this year. If he improves next year as much as he has improved from last year, we are going to see some special basketball at GC next year.

 

He does cherry pick. Once or twice a game I am OK with. He is trying to get a breakaway dunk which should ignite the fans and GC players. Not the worst thing in the world. He can play some great defense. He just does not do it all game. Not sure if it is by design trying to keep him out of foul trouble. Last year he picked up a lot of cheap fouls on defense. This year those have gone way down. Obviously we are a much different team with him on the court.

 

Part of it is no doubt boredom. He can literally take the ball to the hoop and get off a high percentage shot on every possession. There might be a player in AA that can guard him, and we might see him at JMU on Friday, but so far this year nobody has been able to slow him down.

 

I was there when he did the hot sauce dribbling off the foot thing. Not sure why you expect a coach to bench a player for a turnover. Players turn the ball over all game. Part of Mac's game IS the hot sauce dribbling. Is no different than a player driving to the goal and turning the ball over.

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Not trying to change anybody's mind Milo. If it be an entire page or just a couple of instances. Would just like to see the kid be more humble that's all. I believe less arrogancy on the court would do wonders for him. I'm afraid his ego might get the best of him. It happens you know.

 

 

I've never seen the Ball kid play basketball, but I did get to see him play football. Outstanding athlete and I hear a lot of good things about him.

I was reading over this thread checking on Dan River information. I didn't see this person play but this kid you talk about with the ego and arrogance?

 

To me there are two cases of arrogance:

 

There is the Bill Laimbeer, John Starks Rajon Rondo type of arrogance or there is the Michael Jordan, Reggie Miller or Larry Bird type of arrogance.

 

One is more productive and more likeable than the other.

 

I went a little old school with these examples but to me nobody in the league today exemplifies confidence, in a good way, more than these guys.

Stephen Curry probably can be included here. Maybe Kevin Durant or Kyrie Irving. There are some other major stars who are riding the fence IMO.

 

I hope you understand my different levels of arrogance.

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Folks in the know at Gate City tell me that McClung may be going to a prep school next year.

 

If GC is going to win a state championship this season, they are going to have to play some defense, McClung included and McClung especially. If he is that head and shoulders above everyone else offensively, he SHOULD be defensively as well.   Heard GC people saying there was no defense played in the Dan River game.

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I would not characterize Tebow as arrogant but there is no doubt he is confident.  Terrell Owens was absolutely gifted and liked to let the world know just how gifted.  All "stud" players have supreme confidence in their abilities...some just exhibit it more than others.  High school kids are the same.  Nothing wrong with knowing you are good...

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I have heard the prep school rumors also. Not for basketball, but to get his grades up. Mac gets a lot of exposure from his traveling team. He does not need to go to a prep school for exposure. 

 

I do not think he will leave GC, but I am wrong a lot. 

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I've seen Mac play for 3 years and would expect him to be back at GC next year. Don't know where these Oak Hill rumors are coming from but I wouldn't blame him for leaving either.  I really don't see what "Howdyfans" is talking about either. The actual quote from the Times-news is "McClung savored the chance to work against Mitchell who has received offers from the likes of Clemson and Tennessee to play football.  Mac said, "I'm a D-1 athlete too, so I knew what he had coming. Mitchell is athletic, but I've been watching film and I learned some tricks. Mitchell is a good guy and I love playing against him."  

As for the HUDL highlights. I watch these all the time.  Every player that shares their own highlights on twitter, starts with "check out my highlights" it's the signature on the HUDL program. It does that for every user.  So, it seems like you're just picking on Mac.  Also, I doubt you talked to this unnamed "Arby's Organizer."  They loved him and Zac, they brought in big crowds and said all they heard from Mac was "yes sir" and "no sir" when they were needed for photos.  I've also talked to referees at other games that were proud to work GC games to see Mac.  They said he's very respectful and confident.  He absorbs a lot of punishing fouls and what you call "arrogance" is probably him shaking off the opponents and their fans?

Your perspective seems very biased and I think Mac's character is more in line with his Times-news quote after scoring a school record 64 points.  He didn't seem interest in talking about his historic total but instead wanted to look ahead.  "I wasn't focused on that (the point total)...I was more worried about the outcome of the game. We're going to fix it.  We're not going to get dejected. "I wouldn't count us out yet."  He seems like a great kid.  you can check out what the kids twitter page has today: 

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I've seen Mac play for 3 years and would expect him to be back at GC next year. Don't know where these Oak Hill rumors are coming from but I wouldn't blame him for leaving either. I really don't see what "Howdyfans" is talking about either. The actual quote from the Times-news is "McClung savored the chance to work against Mitchell who has received offers from the likes of Clemson and Tennessee to play football. Mac said, "I'm a D-1 athlete too, so I knew what he had coming. Mitchell is athletic, but I've been watching film and I learned some tricks. Mitchell is a good guy and I love playing against him."

As for the HUDL highlights. I watch these all the time. Every player that shares their own highlights on twitter, starts with "check out my highlights" it's the signature on the HUDL program. It does that for every user. So, it seems like you're just picking on Mac. Also, I doubt you talked to this unnamed "Arby's Organizer." They loved him and Zac, they brought in big crowds and said all they heard from Mac was "yes sir" and "no sir" when they were needed for photos. I've also talked to referees at other games that were proud to work GC games to see Mac. They said he's very respectful and confident. He absorbs a lot of punishing fouls and what you call "arrogance" is probably him shaking off the opponents and their fans?

Your perspective seems very biased and I think Mac's character is more in line with his Times-news quote after scoring a school record 64 points. He didn't seem interest in talking about his historic total but instead wanted to look ahead. "I wasn't focused on that (the point total)...I was more worried about the outcome of the game. We're going to fix it. We're not going to get dejected. "I wouldn't count us out yet." He seems like a great kid. you can check out what the kids twitter page has today:

Exactly. I've known Mac almost his entire life, he's always had a swagger. I know of a time he showed off his 6-pack at the age of 7 after a Little League baseball game and said "what do you think of that?". The kid just has swagger. Call it cocky if you want to. He's good, he knows it, but he don't boast it and belittle others by rubbing their face in it. He's humble, calls people Mam and Sir, brags on his team and coaches, and thanks people when the comment him on his play. A cocky player would be all about themselves and selfish. Never once have I seen him go "Me, Me, Me or I, I, I " Nothing wrong with being confident, especially when your play backs it up. He rather win a state title with his team than score 64 any day. Mac is the first to standup and cheer on the reserves when they do good. And the Hudl uses "check out my highlights" as a default. Anyone who knows anything about how Hudl works knows that.

 

Some people on here need to quit trolling and quit being jealous. And Mac has dibblied the ball off his foot one time and some want to make a big deal of it? 1 trip down the court out of what? 1 million? Big deal.

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Exactly. I've known Mac almost his entire life, he's always had a swagger. I know of a time he showed off his 6-pack at the age of 7 after a Little League baseball game and said "what do you think of that?". The kid just has swagger. Call it cocky if you want to. He's good, he knows it, but he don't boast it and belittle others by rubbing their face in it. He's humble, calls people Mam and Sir, brags on his team and coaches, and thanks people when the comment him on his play. A cocky player would be all about themselves and selfish. Never once have I seen him go "Me, Me, Me or I, I, I " Nothing wrong with being confident, especially when your play backs it up. He rather win a state title with his team than score 64 any day. Mac is the first to standup and cheer on the reserves when they do good. And the Hudl uses "check out my highlights" as a default. Anyone who knows anything about how Hudl works knows that.

Some people on here need to quit trolling and quit being jealous. And Mac has dibblied the ball off his foot one time and some want to make a big deal of it? 1 trip down the court out of what? 1 million? Big deal.

So because someone may have noticed that McClung can be cocky at times they're automatically jealous or trolling?

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No what I think what LL is saying is hes not cocky.....Its confidence that he shows on the court. Any great athlete is full of confidence and they will exude it on the court, field, etc. He's the spark for GC....The team feeds off of his energy. I'd much rather have an athlete like him as opposed to having one that shows absolutely no emotion and is pretty much a stump.

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Having watched Mac play for years, it is hard to argue that he does not have a "swagger" about himself on the court. If you are not wearing GC blue, you no doubt will come up with a different word than "swagger".

 

 

I was there when he did the hot sauce dribbling off the foot thing. Not sure why you expect a coach to bench a player for a turnover. Players turn the ball over all game. Part of Mac's game IS the hot sauce dribbling. Is no different than a player driving to the goal and turning the ball over.

In the incident I referred to, MM was obviously showing off the handles as the kid from Lebanon tried to get up in him-he wasn't trying to take him to the rack or anything. Again, in a game like that where GC is up 20 it's not a big deal as to the outcome, but I also don't think it's a great example to set...yeah yeah I know get off my lawn and all that.

 

No sour grapes here-the kid is tremendous and I have never heard a peep about him off the court or about him being anything other than a great presence in the locker room. However he does carry the swagger that you referred to, which can sometimes be misconstrued by opposing fans.

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I was by no means close to a D1 athlete, but I was the type just like Mac in football and baseball. I was very full of energy on the field and always tried to pick my team up. I was a vocal leader to my team and also a leader by actions and I always did so with confidence, if you do so with confidence you're team will believe in you and be more likely to follow you. I think Mac's confidence and leadership is mistaking for being cocky. Sports are very emotional, and different players react to the emotions in different ways. Ya, Mac and others on the team get upset over a bad call, Mac plays some serious travel ball and I say a lot of junk gets called in swva that is never even whistled in his travel league. I complained about calls as a player, who hasn't? I've seen Mac ask for an explanation (nothing wrong with that), look at Scotty and shrug, and I've seen him laugh it off. I was just like Mac, if I had a pancake block or a nice rip into left-center I displayed my emotions. Never to show up anyone but to celebrate. Mac displays his when he slams one down or makes a beautiful behind the back pass to a teammate. Shoot, if I could throw down a reverse alley-oop I would grin and get fired up too. Or if I could stroke a 3 from the parking lot I would hold the follow through as well. What fun would it be to just throw a dunk down and just be a dud? It's hard not to display it when a gym full of GC fans are rocking the gym. Like someone stated, the team and fans feed off Mac. If it takes Mac being a bit emotional after a big play to do it, then by all means, do it! And don't knock the kid because the game is serious to him. He will have his college education payed for due to his ability to play basketball and what he is doing is landing him D1 offer after D1 offer. Obviously what he is doing is just fine. The big thing Mac has going for him is that he knows it's a team sport, and without his team he knows he wouldn't be the player he is without their help.

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In the incident I referred to, MM was obviously showing off the handles as the kid from Lebanon tried to get up in him-he wasn't trying to take him to the rack or anything. Again, in a game like that where GC is up 20 it's not a big deal as to the outcome, but I also don't think it's a great example to set...yeah yeah I know get off my lawn and all that.

 

No sour grapes here-the kid is tremendous and I have never heard a peep about him off the court or about him being anything other than a great presence in the locker room. However he does carry the swagger that you referred to, which can sometimes be misconstrued by opposing fans.

Sure, bench the 2A player of the year. Mac was just setting the kid up to drive and the kid didn't bite to be honest. That Lebanon kid should be proud and chalk it up a win and claim he forced Mac McClung to turn the ball over.

 

Now in a close game, Scotty would've told Mac to knock it off, and I've seen Scotty do it a few time this year when the team tries behind the back passes and alley-oops. Scotty never pulled Dylan Jenkins a couple years ago for a turnover when Dylan made flashy pass, nor did Scotty pull Tihlee Anderson when he would be flashy. Mistakes happen. I would consider it an issue worth benching if it happened more times than not. But Mac has lost his handles on the dribble once this season, a high success rate so why bench him when it usually works out?

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I don't think anyone on here knows the kid off the court, and from what I gather he comes from a good family and is a respectful kid that stays out of trouble.

But, in the gym, from an outsider, the way he carries himself and some of the stuff he tries exude supreme confidence or arrogance. But, I get that emotion during games is a real thing and competitiveness takes over. I have zero issue with a kid being mad about a call or a blown assignment or jus pissed at themsekves for a mistake, but I only view it negatively when it evolves into one kid "showing up" another kid for laughs or giggles. That And 1 ball bullshit, it drives me nuts. MM isn't like those guys mostmof the time, but on occasion it has looked like he was doing unnecessary flashy stuff to try and look cool.

 

I'll never fault a kid for trying hard, getting emotional. Never. I wasn't a great athlete whatsoever, but I understand the drive to win. I am uber competitive, whether it's Rook or basketball, I want to win and never shy from that label and as a kid, I'd let my emotions run wild at times. I would cry during a huddle in football, not BC of pain but BC I missed a block or we had a chance for a big play an scrwwed up. I kicked a kid square in the ass during a summer basketball game at Wise in like 7th or 8th grade. Not hard, just a reminder that I was there and wouldn't tolerate any bullshit. I'm a believer in the hard foul, but never hurting someone. I understand that part, but it's the showy stuff that gives an air of "I'm better than you and I'm gonna embarrass you", whether you truly feel that way or not.

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That's some snowflake material right there. If you don't wanna get "shown up" put in the hours that Mac does with basketball and become a better player. Don't fuss at the kid who can break ankles and hug and say "it's ok, he's mean" to the one who can't guard the ankle breaker. That's exactly what's wrong with this nation today. Too many people get butthurt because someone is better than they are and expect that person who is better to slow their roll (so to speak) to keep the subpar person from looking bad. If you don't wanna get shown up, get better at your job, studies, sport, hobby, or whatever. Don't expect the better person to slack to let you catch up because you fail to achieve the level they do.

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Something else to keep in mind. I do not believe anyone on this board knows what it feels like to have the athletic ability MM has. He is also a gym rat. Kid is constantly working to improve his game. What appears "flashy" to most of us, is really just normal for him. Just because none of us can dribble like him, or has the vertical leap he has, that does not mean that he should not dribble or elevate. 

 

If a kid works on his long range shot and is constantly able to knock down 3s as soon as he crosses half court, is he showing off when he shoots from that far out? I would argue that the kid is just using the talents that he has worked very hard to acquire. Just like MM. 

 

If you were the head coach of a high school team, would you take MM on your team right now......as is?   

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That's some snowflake material right there. If you don't wanna get "shown up" put in the hours that Mac does with basketball and become a better player. Don't fuss at the kid who can break ankles and hug and say "it's ok, he's mean" to the one who can't guard the ankle breaker. That's exactly what's wrong with this nation today. Too many people get butthurt because someone is better than they are and expect that person who is better to slow their roll (so to speak) to keep the subpar person from looking bad. If you don't wanna get shown up, get better at your job, studies, sport, hobby, or whatever. Don't expect the better person to slack to let you catch up because you fail to achieve the level they do.

Yeah you totally missed the point. But whatever helps you sleep better I guess.

Go watch some that And 1 stuff on YT or somewhere and act like that's how you believe HS kids should act on the court.

All I take from your post is that HS kids should be rewarded for shaming kids with less talent. That's a real enlightened opinion.

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BHC's article on McClung. You guys who are hating on the kid need to read it and need to quit judging a kid that has down absolutely nothing but show up your teams all season long.

 

http://www.heraldcourier.com/sports/gate-city-s-mcclung-has-some-extra-motivation/article_900bc6f0-fed4-11e6-9daa-237ccc3467d3.html?utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter&utm_campaign=user-share

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